Update: ‘Design,’ Interior,’ ‘Price & Release Date,’ ‘Sales’ and ‘2025 Audi SQ5’ sub-section updated, and ‘Premium Platform Combustion (PPC)’ sub-section added.
The Audi Q5, the German automaker’s best-selling model worldwide, is undergoing an overhaul to enter its third generation. As part of the company’s push to electrify its vehicle lines, the 2025 Audi Q5 Hybrid variant should be a big part of the new global family. Here’s everything we know about the next-gen Q5, which is expected to hit the U.S. as a 2026 model.
Design
The third generation of the Audi Q5 will bring much greater design changes than the second generation model. The proportions look quite similar, but the front and rear are more striking in the redesigned SUV.
A shorter octagonal Singleframe, slimmer and more technical-looking headlamps, and taller lower air intake, along with side air inlets, give the new Audi Q5 a new and confident character. At the rear, the all-new Q5 is likely to get a more striking appearance with sleeker rear combination lamps featuring Audi’s second-generation digital OLED technology and a full-width narrow LED light band running between them, accentuating the SUV’s width just like the redesigned grille.
Video Source: YouTube/CarSpyMedia
In the video above, CarSpyMedia shows the next-generation Q5 coping with the brutal winter near the Arctic Circle. Although the body is mostly camouflaged, some parts remain exposed. Its signature Singleframe grille is clearly visible, as are its vertical air intakes. The prototype has regular turn signals both in the headlights and taillights, but the production version will likely have dynamic turn signals.
Audi is testing the next-generation Q5, including the next-generation Q5 Hybrid, with the final exterior, including production-intent headlights and taillights. Recent pictures show test mules with different exhaust systems, suggesting the company is testing the various configurations it plans to offer at launch.
Interior
Inside, Audi designers will look to further trim the number of physical controls and increase digitalization. Expect a trio of crisp screens in the front, including an 11.9-inch OLED Audi virtual cockpit, a 14.5-inch OLED MMI touch display, and an optional 10.9-inch MMI passenger touch display.
A new head-up display (HUD) that projects speed, ADAS information, navigation instructions, and media data, allowing the driver to control the vehicle, will likely complement the digital instrument cluster.
Level 2/Level 2+ autonomous driving
According to Autocar’s May 19, 2022 report, the enhanced version of the MLB platform would enable Audi Q5 to support Level 2 autonomous driving features. Our guess is that the list will possibly include advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) like lane keep assist, radar-assisted dynamic cruise control, autonomous emergency braking, traffic sign recognition, satellite navigation-based cornering speed control, etc. However, L2 autonomous driving requires hands to be on the steering with full driver attention and should not be misinterpreted as complete autonomous driving.
New Audi Q5 Sportback
Shortly after the new Audi Q5, a fully redesigned Audi Q5 Sportback is expected to go on sale. The Sportback model should boast of the same new dynamic and refreshed exterior design, which could make it stand out among compact luxury SUV coupes on the market.
The new Q5 Sportback, with its sleek, coupe-like styling, is designed to appeal to younger customers. We imagine that the back glass would slope sharply downwards, giving the car a dynamic look. It should sport exclusive bumpers and wheels as well to set itself apart from the regular Q5. Expect it to come in only higher-end trims that offer plenty of equipment as standard.
Platform & Specifications
Premium Platform Combustion (PPC)
The next-gen Audi Q5 should sit on an improved version of the current model’s MLB-evo platform, called ‘Premium Platform Combustion (PPC).’ Among other enhancements, the updated platform should offer support for all-wheel steering (rear-axle steering), suggests an Autocar report. At low speeds, the rear wheels turn in the opposite direction and reduce the turning radius, while at high speeds, the rear wheels turn in the same direction as the front wheels and provide more stability.
Space
Based on high-resolution spy photos of a prototype, Auto Express reported on July 14, 2022, that Audi is planning to extend the wheelbase of the Q5. As a result, rear-seat passengers should have more legroom. Currently, the Q5 measures 184.3/184.6 inches in length and has a wheelbase of 111.0 inches. It offers 38.0 inches of legroom in the rear.
Best-ever Audi engine?
As part of its Vorsprung 2030 strategy, Audi is working on introducing its final combustion-engine generation. In June 2021, former CEO Markus Duesmann announced at the Berlin climate conference that “Audi’s last internal combustion engine will be the best we’ve ever built.” The next-gen Q5 will likely get engines from the final generation. A majority of the gasoline and diesel engines in the next-generation Q5 should be 48-volt mild hybrids.
2025 Audi SQ5
Audi may offer the next-gen SQ5 in the U.S. with a 3.0-liter V6 TFSI engine that produces 270 kW (362 hp) and 550 Nm (406 lb.-ft.) of torque. A 7-speed S tronic dual-clutch transmission and a quattro permanent all-wheel drive system should work together to send drive to the wheels. A 0-60 mph sprint may take just about 4.5 seconds and the top speed will likely be capped at 155 mph.
Using an electric motor directly attached to the transmission output shaft, a new ‘MHEV plus’ mild-hybrid system should recuperate energy when decelerating at up to 25 kW, storing it in a 48-volt Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP) battery pack. The electric motor will likely utilize the stored energy to assist the V6 engine with up to 18 kW (24 hp) when driving in slow-moving traffic or coasting at low speed. Thanks to this mild-hybrid system, the engine might not need to exert on slight inclines and when maneuvering slowly.
2025 Audi Q5 Plug-in Hybrid
Audi will likely offer a 2.0-liter gasoline engine with a plug-in hybrid system, which should also be available in the United States. The current model’s 14.4 kWh (net) battery pack provides an EV-mode range of 62 km/39 miles on the WLTP cycle and only 23 miles as per EPA’s test method.
Audi should install a new battery pack with an energy storage capacity of around 20 kWh in the next-gen Q5 PHEV for a significant improvement in the electric driving range. The company may target a WLTP range closer to 100 km/62 miles and an EPA-est. range of 35-40 miles.
The engines employed in the next-gen Audi Q5, including the mild-hybrid and plug-in hybrid variants, will be more efficient and eco-friendly. The company will want to ensure that they are future-proof and ready to meet the Euro 7 emission norms. According to the Autocar report, the 2.0-liter EA888 engine, which we expect to be under the hood of the plug-in hybrid variant, will get an updated fuel injection system and a new particulate filter.
2025 Audi RS Q5 Plug-in Hybrid
RS Q5 variants were not introduced for the first two generations of the Q5, but it appears that the company is cooking up a variant for performance enthusiasts with the third generation. On September 14, 2022, Motor.es reported, based on a new prototype spotted in Southern Europe, that an RS Q5 is under development.
The prototype had covers to hide the doors for fueling/charging, which indicated that it was a PHEV. Moreover, the Spanish publication claims that the test mule had an electrical danger warning sign (probably the yellow sticker on the driver’s window), which is a solid backing for that speculation.
Motor.es claims that the first (and possibly the last) RS Q5 PHEV will club a 2.9-liter twin-turbo V6 gas engine with an electric motor. It says that the high-performance SUV’s WLTP electric range will be just around 20 km. That would mean that the powertrain will direct most of the electric power to improve performance.
Price & Release Date
The next-gen Audi Q5 will debut in fall 2024 and should start rolling into American dealerships in early 2025. The Audi Mexico plant, located in San José Chiapa, specializes in Q5 production and should manufacture the third-generation SUV, which should hit the market as a 2026 model. Expect prices to start at a little over USD 45,000. The Audi RS Q5 and new Q5 Sportback should follow a few months later.
The second-gen Q5 that’s currently on sale received what is likely its final MY update to become a 2025 model in July 2024. Audi introduced a host of standard features and attractive option packages with this update.
As for RHD markets, Audi could take its time to introduce the new Q5. Jeff Mannering, Audi Australia’s Director, told CarSales.com.au in November 2023 that the next-gen Q5 will arrive in the next “12 to 24 months” down under.
In December 2023, Audi was testing the next-gen Q5 along with the first-ever A5 Avant (A4 Avant successor) on the streets of Melbourne. CarsGuide reached out to Audi Australia to know what was going on, as it’s unusual for future Audis to appear in the country before their global reveal. The company said that the prototypes were there for local testing for future platform and driver assistance technologies.
Prototypes spotted in the U.S.
Spy pictures Reddit user ablair05 shared earlier in March 2024 indicated that Audi is already conducting local testing of the U.S.-spec next-gen Q5 to perform any required market-specific tuning. This wasn’t the first appearance of the upcoming luxury SUV in the U.S., though.
In September 2023, YouTube channel TFLNow shared a spy video of three camouflaged combustion-powered Audi prototypes testing in the Colorado mountains. Two Avants (presumed as next-gen A6s) and the next-gen Audi SQ5 were part of the pack, clocking miles in the dry air and altitude of the high country, sporting Michigan registration plates. The next-gen SQ5 is characterized by four exhaust outlets, as opposed to a single-side exhaust on the regular models.
Sales
The Q5 is Audi’s highest-selling model worldwide. In the U.S., it was yet again the top-performing Audi in 2023, with sales of 74,145 units (YoY sales up by 18 percent). However, in the first half of 2024, its sales stood at just 24,571 units, 30% lower compared to the first half of 2023 (35,341 units). Audi would hope that the upcoming full model change would help the mid-size SUV regain its strength in the market in 2025.
No plans for an Audi Q5 Electric outside China
An all-electric Audi Q5 e-tron is available in China since mid-2022, but it will remain a country-specific product for the foreseeable future. For global customers looking for an all-electric Q5, the Audi Q4 e-tron or Audi Q8 e-tron may have some of the attributes they desire. Later this year, the company will begin sales of the Audi Q6 e-tron as well, which is an important launch for the four-ringed brand’s EV ambitions.
TopElectricSUV says
The new Q5, the third generation of Audi’s best-selling model in the U.S. and globally, is almost certainly the final Q5 with an internal combustion engine under the hood. There are indicators that it will come with new engines — the best ones Audi has ever built, more extensive electrification, new hands-free driving tech, enhanced safety, and substantial design changes.
We expect the redesigned SUV to offer more value for money. With compliance norms getting tougher, hybrids and plug-in hybrid electrification technologies aren’t disappearing anytime soon, and the next-gen Q5 will be a testament to that.
New Audi Q5 FAQs
What is the new Audi Q5 release date?
The new Q5 will debut in fall 2024 and should reach U.S. dealers as a 2026 model early next year.
Which models will be the next-gen Audi Q5 rivals?
What will be the all-new Audi Q5 price?
The new Audi Q5 could cost just over USD 45,000 in the base trim.
Featured image: TopElectricSUV’s rendition of the new Audi Q5.
I got my Master’s in Business Management & Administration and have been an International Automotive News Editor since 2014. I’ve traveled to global motor shows and automotive events, driven various types of vehicles, and focused on hybrid and electric cars in the last 4 years.
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